Samford Finishes First Day Of Multi Events At Alabama Relays
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ---- The Samford track and field team finished the first day of competition in the Alabama Relays on Thursday. Three Bulldog men are competing in the decathlon and three Bulldog women are competing in the heptathlon for Samford.
Samford assistant coach Keith Baker, who is competing unattached, leads the competition in first place. Baker posted a first day score of 3703 points, running the 100 meters in 11.26 and the 400 meters in 50.73 and posting a leap of 20-05.75 in the long jump, a height of 6-02.25 in the high jump and a toss of 48-04.75 in the shot put.
Brandon Bassett sits in third place with 3450 points after the first day of competition. Bassett started the day with a time of 11.37 in the 100 meters followed by posting a personal best of 22-08.75 in the long jump. He had a toss of 36-05.00 in the shot put and a height of 6-00.00 in the high jump, and wrapped up the day with a time of 53.33 in the 400 meters.
Zac Epperson is in 15th place with 2783 points (100m - 11.74, LJ - 18-03.00, SP - 28-11.00, HJ - 5-02.50, 400m - 52.22) and Donald Cooper comes in at 20th place with 2242 points (100m- 11.24, LJ - 13-07.00, SP - 23-07.25, HJ - 6-02.25, 400m - DNF). Both Epperson and Cooper posted personal bests in the shot put.
On the women's side, Morgan Tyler leads the Bulldog women in 11th place with 2634 points followed by Macy Conger in 12th place with 2609 points and Ashley Cope in 13th place with 2607 points.
Tyler posted a time of 14.94 in the 100-meter hurdles and a time of 26.14 in the 200 meters while clearing 4-08.25 in the high jump and tossing 29-01.00 in the shot put.
Conger ran the 100-meter hurdles in 15.46 and the 200 meters in a personal best time of 26.24 while posting a mark of 5-01.00 in high jump and toss of 24-11.00 in the shot put.
Cope ran a personal best of 15.23 in the 100-meter hurdles and posted a time of 26.59 in the 200 meters while clearing 4-08.25 in the high jump and posting a mark of 31-07.25 in the shot put.
The men will finish the decathlon on Friday with the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meters left to score. The women will conclude with the long jump, javelin and 800 meters. The women's hammer will also take place on Friday.
Samford Men Rank High In Alabama Relays Decathlon
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ---- The Samford track and field team finished the heptathlon and decathlon Friday in the second day of competition at the Alabama Relays hosted by the University of Alabama. The men completed the decathlon with the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meters while the women finished the heptathlon with the long jump, javelin and 800 meters.
Samford assistant coach Keith Baker, who is competing unattached, won the men's decathlon, scoring 7,320 points. Baker posted a time of 14.78 in the 110-meter hurdles, tossed 138-01.00 in the discus, cleared 15-03.00 in the pole vault, threw 161-02.00 in the javelin and ran a time of 4:44.16 in the 1500 meters.
Brandon Bassett took third in the decathlon, breaking his own school record with 6,679 points. He ran the 110-meter hurdles in 16.05 and posted personal bests in every other event. Bassett threw 111-11.00 in the discus, cleared 15-03.00 in the pole vault, tossed 180-04.00 in the javelin and ran 5:12.65 in the 1500 meters.
Zac Epperson finished 13th with a personal-best 5,107 points. Epperson ran the 110-meter hurdles in 16.05, posted a personal best of 78-04.00 in the discus, cleared 14-07.25 in the pole vault, tossed 103-00.00 in the javelin and ran a personal best of 4:58.91 in the 1500 meters.
Donald Cooper did not finish the decathlon but posted a toss of 97-08.00 in the discus and a toss of 115-08.00 in the javelin.
Morgan Tyler led the Bulldog women in the heptathlon, finishing ninth with a total of 4,381 points. She posted a jump of 17-09.00 in the long jump, a toss of 85-11.00 in the javelin and a time of 2:31.96 in the 800 meters.
Ashley Cope followed in 11th place with 4,278 points. She posted a jump of 16-05.25 in the long jump, a toss of 78-11.00 in the javelin and a time of 2:25.93 in the 800 meters.
Macy Conger finished 14th with a total of 4,138 points. She had a mark of 16-06.50 in the long jump, tossed 72-04.00 in the javelin and ran the 800 meters in 2:35.00.
Shelby Builta wrapped up the day, posting a new school record of 136-05.00 in the hammer throw. The mark helped her win her flight and earned her 17th place in the competition. Builta broke the school record two weeks ago at the 'Southern Invitational in her first collegiate appearance in the event.
Bulldogs Finish Third Day Of Competition In Alabama Relays
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ---- The Samford track and field team finished its third day of competition in the Alabama Relays Saturday.
In the women's track events, Lille Jackson and Lauren Pilcher took third and fourth places, respectively, in the women's 10,000 meters. Jackson ran a time of 38:48.97 and Pilcher posted a time of 40:02.71.
Jillian Klassen led the Bulldog women in the 5,000 meters, placing eighth with a time of 18:13.22. Claire Grogan took 13th place with a personal best of 18:50.13 while Deanna Zidar placed 16th with a time of 18:59.16. Ina Ables took 18th place with a personal best of 19:02.03.
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Julie McDonald placed eighth with a personal best of 14.58 while Danielle Blanco finished 19th with a time of 16.41. Morgan Tyler placed 11th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:04.97 followed by Blanco (1:05.46) in 14th place and Leslie Graf (1:06.37) in 15th place. Ashley Bridenbaugh finished 18th with a time of 1:08.63 while McDonald finished 19th with a personal best of 1:08.78.
Madeline Cross finished 28th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.81 and 25th in the 200-meter dash with a personal best of 25.82. Tatum Moffett placed 27th in the 200-meter dash with a personal best of 25.94 and 12th in the 400-meter dash with a personal best of 58.51. Jessica Watson also took 39th place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.46.
In the 800 meters, Lauren D'Alessio took third place with a time of 2:15.28 followed by Jessica Van Ausdall in fourth place with a personal best of 2:15.88. Hillary Neal finished 10th with a time of 2:18.06 followed by Holly Benson (2:18.26) in 12th and Alli Keithan (2:26.01) with a personal best in 28th place.
D'Alessio also finished second in the 1500 meters with a personal best of 4:38.30 followed by Van Ausdall in 18th with a time of 4:51.87. Benson (5:01.00) placed 24th while Keithan (5:14.67) finished 30th.
Lauren Ewart and Rachel Sims finished 14th and 15th, respectively, in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase with personal bests of 12:20.85 and 12:37.28.
In the women's field events, Shelby Builta posted a personal best in the discus, tossing 144-01.00 to take ninth place, while Emily Allen placed 18th in the long jump with a leap of 15-11.75.
Laura Bedsole finished eighth in the pole vault with a height of 11-05.75 while Mary Barron cleared 10-06.00 to finish in 12th place. Ashley Cope and Rachel Gregory tied for 13th place with a height of 10-00.00.
Volunteer assistant coach Jane Doolittle, who is competing unattached, won the high jump with a height of 5-08.75.
In the men's track events, Jonathan Bush finished 18th in the 200-meter dash with a personal best of 22.48 while Connor McGee placed 32nd with a personal best of 23.14.
Alex Richter took third place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.90 followed by Bush (51.04) in 19th place and Brad Bostic (51.72) in 22nd place.
Cavan Corcoran tied for sixth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.07 and finished 12th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 57.78.
In the 800 meters, Henry Stevens-Carty led the Bulldogs with a time of 1:52.62 to finish second followed by Layton Dorsett with a personal best of 1:52.84 to finish third. Ramsey White clocked a personal best of 1:54.06 to take sixth place while Scott Cope finished eighth with a time of 1:54.66.
In the 1500 meters, Blaise Carie finished sixth with a time of 3:56.63 followed by Dorsett in eighth with a time of 3:57.78. Stevens-Carty placed 16th with a personal best of 4:01.39 while Cope finished 18th with a time of 4:02.84. White (4:08.91) placed 24th and Dan Hall (4:43.85) took 33rd place.
James Graham took third in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase with time of 10:09.69.
Justin Emerson placed sixth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.72 while Bobby Ellison (11.26) and Connor McGee (11.43) clocked personal bests to take 23rd and 24th places respectively.
In the men's field events, Michael Seaman grabbed second place in the pole vault and Owen Wagoner took third place. Both cleared a height of 16-02.75. Seaman did it in fewer attempts than Wagoner.
Thomas Oliver took second place in the javelin with a toss of 190-03.00 followed by Kanon Burt in fourth place with a throw of 167-10.00.
The Bulldogs will wrap up the weekend at the Alabama Relays on Sunday.
Samford Track And Field Wraps Up Alabama Relays Sunday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ---- The Samford track and field team wrapped up competition Sunday at the Alabama Relays hosted by the University of Alabama. The Bulldogs competed in four field events to conclude this weekend's action on the track.
Samford started the day with the men's hammer throw. Kyle Kirby led the pack, taking second place with a toss of 191-03.00. Kanon Burt followed in eighth place with a mark of 131-03.00 while Chris Davis took ninth place with a toss of 127-07.00.
Next up was the women's triple jump. Emily Allen took sixth place with a personal best leap of 37-05.00.
Shelby Builta then placed fifth in the women's javelin with a toss of 129-04.00.
The Bulldogs closed the day with the men's shot put. Chris Davis placed eighth with a mark of 45-11.75 followed by Kanon Burt in 11th place with a mark of 40-06.25.
The Bulldogs will continue competition next weekend, April 1-2, when they head to Auburn, Ala., to take part in the Tiger Track Classic.
Chattanooga's Berry, Kirwa Notch PRs in 5000 Meter Run at Stanford Invitational
STANFORD, Calif. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior distance runners Emmanuel Kirwa and Chris Berry recorded personal record times in the rain Friday morning in the 5000 meter run at the 2011 Stanford Invitational at Cobb Track and Angel Field in Stanford, Calif.
Kirwa placed fifth overall, just seven seconds off the lead pace in their heat with a PR 14:23.66 while Berry was not far behind in seventh with his own personal record of 14:28.12. Kirwa's previous best time was 14:51.29 while Berry had a previous PR of 14:57.70.
"In my 20 years of coming out here, this is the first time it has rained," UTC Head Coach Bill Gautier said. "They both did really well, but I know they would like to have done better. They each improved on their PRs, so that's always a positive."
Long Beach State's Heath Reedy took first in the heat with a time of 14:16.62 followed by Sacramento State's Reese Byers with a time of 14:19.01.
Senior Tara Gietema will run the 5000 meter at Georgia Tech tonight in the opening event of the 2011 Yellow Jacket Invitational. The rest of the races will be run Saturday at the George C. Griffin Track in Atlanta.
RAIN SHORTENS GEORGIA TECH'S YELLOW JACKET INVITATIONAL
ATLANTA, Ga. --- A stalled weather front over the Southeast brought with it lightning and large amounts of rain causing Georgia Tech to cancel several events at the 2011 Yellow Jacket Invitational at the George C. Griffin Track Saturday. Despite the inclement weather, however, the Mocs were able to get in several races, but times were affected by the poor track conditions.
On Friday, senior Tara Gietema placed seventh in the 5000 meter run with a time of 18:01.92 and then placed eighth in the 1500 meter run on Saturday with a time of 4:53.16. She was followed by sophomores Mary Cumbee and Morgan Buchanan.
Freshman Gaby Cader continues to improve in the sprints, logging a 1:00.51 in the first outdoor event of her collegiate career.
Senior David Moore was sixth in the 800 meter run for the Mocs with a time of 1:55.03 with freshman Drew Austell in ninth with a time of 1:56.55 and freshman John Gilpin registering a 2:01.11 in the event.
In the 1500 meter run, junior Joshue Vasquez placed sixth for UTC with a time of 3:58.49 and sophomore Lucas Cotter made a slight improvement to his PR with a time of 4:00.50 in the race.
The Mocs will travel to Jacksonville, Ala., next Saturday, April 2 for Jacksonville State's Gem of the Hills race.
Eagles Take Their Mark at UCF Invitational and Emory Classic
STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Track and Field team travels to Orlando, Fla., to compete in the UCF Invitational this weekend. Sixteen Eagles will compete at the UCF Track and Field Complex. The field includes Bethune-Cookman, Cincinnati, FAU, Florida Gulf Coast, FIU, Jacksonville, Maryland, Miami, Nova Southeastern, Palm Beach Atlantic, Rhode Island, UCF and Tennessee. Tennessee finished in the top 10 of the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships while UCF was in the top 25. Two women, freshman Stephanie Hicks and junior Azura Robillard, travel to Atlanta to compete in the Heptathlon at the Emory Classic.
In the projected field of 36 competitors in the 100 meter Hurdles, four Georgia Southern student-athletes will be split among the heats. Jasmine Billings, Kwajelin Holsendolph, Dana Edwards and Shaunta Hamilton will represent the Eagles. Holsendolph owns the top two times for the Eagles in the event (14.26 and 14.30) so far this year with Billings in third at 14.40. Three of the top four spots in the SoCon rankings in this event are filled by Holsendolph, Billings and Hicks.
With the second-best time in the Southern Conference in both the 100 meter and 200 meter Dash events, Ebony Carter looks to reclaim her spot at the top of those lists. Carter will join Billings, Holsendolph and Amber Vaughn to comprise the 4X100 meter Relay Team.
Sophomore Sara Curry last weekend took 30 seconds off the previous outdoor 5,000 meter record and will make another attempt in that event at the UCF Invitational. Curry will also race in the 1,500 meter Run at this meet. Kassi Lee and Brittani Martin join Curry in the 5,000 meter Run field. This will be the third race of the year for each in that event.
Kristiana Towns trimmed almost a full second off her previous 400 meter Run time to set a personal best at the Shamrock Invitational last weekend. Towns' 58.78 time ranks in the top 10 of the SoCon times so far this year. Times by Asea Mayfield and Racquel Daly in the 800 meter Run in last weekend's meet solidified top-10 SoCon rankings for both Eagles. They are scheduled to compete in this weekend's 800 meter event while Daly will also run a leg of the 4X400 meter Relay team.
Hamiton, who won the Long Jump and the Triple Jump at the Palmetto Classic earlier this month, and Millicent Brooks-Millender are set to jump in both events this weekend. Hamilton leads the league with her marks in both events while Brooks-Millender is fifth in the SoCon Long Jump and sixth in the Triple Jump standings. Brianna Charles is the third Eagle entry in the Triple Jump. Alex Cassagnol, with an eighth-place finish in the elite section of the High Jump at the Shamrock Invitational, is currently tied for second in the SoCon rankings.
Six Personal Bests Set at UCF Invitational for Georgia Southern
ORLANDO, Fla. - Junior Alex Cassagnol cleared 1.68 meters in the High Jump and captured second place in the event at the UCF Invitational this weekend. Cassagnol went nearly two inches above the nearest three competitors who tied for third place behind her mark. By the end of the meet, members of the Georgia Southern Track and Field team set six personal bests in five events with the 4X100 meter Relay team also recording its best time of the 2011 season.
Freshman Kwajelin Holsendolph had her career-best times in the 100 meter Dash and 100 meter Hurdles. Holsendolph took seventh place in the 100 meter Hurdles at 14.06 to maintain the top spot on the Eagles' 2011 season list. Her 12.19 time in the 100 meter Dash is third behind Ebony Carter's top two times.
With her second-best time of the season in the 200 meter Dash (25.03), Carter finished in the top 20 among collegians. Stephanie Hicks ran her best time in the 100 meter Hurdles (14.24), traveling to Orlando after competing in the Emory Classic in Atlanta on Friday. Dana Edwards ran for a personal best and the Eagles' third-best time of the season in the 400 meter Hurdles.
Sara Curry, who broke the outdoor record in the 5,000 meter Run last weekend, competed only in the 1,500 meter Run this weekend. The sophomore placed in the top 20 with a 4:51.14, within striking distance of the Georgia Southern record in that event.
Taking nearly a full second off its previous best time, the 4X100 Relay team of Jasmine Billings, Amber Vaughn, Carter and Holsendolph ran a time of 47.16.
The Eagles are scheduled to compete at the Florida Relays next Friday and Saturday, April 1st and 2nd, at Percy Beard Track at James G. Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
Elon Track and Field Finishes Day One at Raleigh Relays
RALEIGH, N.C. - After a week off, the Elon track and field team began competition in the Raleigh Relays today, March 25, against some 2,000 participants representing 61 different teams on the campus of NC State.
The 1,600 sprint medley team, comprised of Bria Bell, Kayleigh Birks, Amy Salek and Julie Hart, finished sixth out of 19 teams with a time of 3:59.71.
Veronica Day finished third in the long jump after a leap of 19'2.75", while Lauren Hawkesworth took 10th in her section with a jump of 16'6.5"
In the 5,000-meter run, Emily Fournier finished seventh overall with a time of 17:38.57. Allyson Oram ran in the same heat as Fournier crossing the finish line in 18:07.93. In the third section, Morgan Denecke ran the event in 18:05.06 for second. Allyson Costa and Katelyn O'Dunne also ran in the third section coming in with times of 18:20.65 and 18:27.26, respectively.
Birks (12.71) and Dana Cataldo (12.91) finished 45th and 56th out of 94 runners in the 100-meter dash. Salek placed eighth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.91, while Sarah Skogen (59.84) took 55th out of the 117 event participants. In the 400-meter hurdles, Veronica Luedke earned 18th out of 73 runners with a time of 1:04.09.
Charlise Morgan had the best distance for the Phoenix in the shot put with a throw of 38'8.75". Justine Robertson threw the discus 129'3" or an 18th place finish out of 44 participants.
The Elon track and field team will wrap up action at the Raleigh Relays tomorrow, March 26. Events are scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m.
Two Records Fall in Final Day at Raleigh Relays for Elon Track and Field
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Elon track and field team broke two records in the final day of competition at the Raleigh Relays. The meet, held on the campus of NC State, saw new Elon records in the 4x200-meter relay and the triple jump.
Bria Bell, Kayleigh Birks, Dana Cataldo and Amy Salek comprised the 4x200-meter relay team that finished eighth with a new record of 1:40.94. The group bested the previous record, which was set three years ago, by almost three seconds.
Veronica Day broke her own record in the triple jump with a leap of 40'4.75" that earned her a second-place finish in the event. Lauren Hawkesworth finished 13th in the same event with a jump of 37'3.25".
Emily Tryon placed fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:01.50. Julie Hart continued her success in the 800-meter run with a ninth place finish out of 30 competitors after completing the event in 2:14.16.
Elon finished eighth in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 47.97 with Dana Cataldo, Birks, Day and Veronica Luedke making up the squad. The 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of Bell, Luedke, Sarah Skogen and Salek, finished in 3:53.22 for seventh.
Justine Robertson took 14th in the javelin after a heave of 119'9", while Alyssa Girvin placed 18th in the hammer throw with a throw of 138'4".
Christine Pacewicz and Brennan McDavid finished 20th and 23rd out of 73 runners in the 1,500-meter run with times of 4:53.13 and 4:54.40, respectively.
The Elon track and field team will compete next week, Friday, April 1 - Saturday, April 2, at the Liberty College Invite in Lynchburg, Va.
Schnell, Katam Lead UNCG on Day One of Raleigh Relays
RALEIGH, N.C. - UNCG's Ashley Schnell and Paul Katam each set a new school record for the second time in as many weekends to pace the Spartans during the first day of the prestigious Raleigh Relays on Friday at Paul Derr Track on the campus of NC State.
Schnell shattered the previous school record in the 5,000 meters as she turned in a time of 16:35.62. That time is one minute and 35 seconds quicker than the previous school record. Shaina Sumney's time of 17:19.87 in the event would've also bested the previous school record by 51 seconds.
Prior to their race, Chelsea Sumney ran the 5,000 meters in her section and turned in a time of 17:46.72. That had broke the old school record of 18:10.20 set back in 1999, as well.
Ginny Cronley competed in the 10,000 meters for the first time in her career and ran a 37:41.00, which is the second-best time in school history.
Katam continued his impressive outdoor season as he also set a new school record in the 5,000 meters. His time of 14:34.84 broke the previous school record by over 17 seconds that was set by teammate Joey Thompson in 2009.
The Spartans will wrap up the Raleigh Relays on Saturday with competition beginning at 9:45 a.m.
Thompson Breaks UNCG Record at Raleigh Relays
RALEIGH, N.C. - Joey Thompson broke the school record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase to lead UNCG on the second and final day of the Raleigh Relays on Saturday at Paul Derr Track on the campus on NC State.
Thompson, who was running in the 3,000 meter steeplechase for the first time in his career, ran a time of 9:15.73 to finish in fourth place in his event. That time broke the previous school record by just over eight seconds, which was set by teammate AJ Savoia back in 2008.
Jermaine Coore also had a nice day in his 1,500 meter race. He finished in second place with a time of 3:58.73.
Taylor Day also cut 15 seconds off his previous personal-best in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:53.30.
The Spartans return to competition next weekend at the Liberty Collegiate beginning on Friday.
Two Davidson Men's Distance Records Fall at Raleigh Relays
RALEIGH, N.C. - Senior Charlie Schmitt (Midlothian, Va.) broke the 32-year old Davidson men's track and field record in the 5000-meter run in 14 minutes, 27.21 seconds, while junior Ryan Hopkins (Greenwich, Conn.) broke the school 10,000-meter run standard by less than a tenth of a second Friday at the Raleigh Relays hosted by N.C. State on Paul Derr Track.
Schmitt finished just over five seconds off the winning pace in third place. He bested the standard of 14:33.88 set by Coty Pinckney April 29, 1978 at the Southern Conference Championships. Sophomore Demetrios Pagonis (Westminster, Md.) placed 13th in 14:40.79, which ranks as the fourth-best performance all-time in Davidson history.
Hopkins placed fourth in the 10K in 30:14.87, narrowly surpassing the record Brent Ferrell set of 30:14.96 at the Raleigh Relays on March 31, 2000. Liberty's Sam Chelanga, the defending NCAA runner-up, won the event in 28:15.64.
The rest of the Davidson men's track and field team is competing at the Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C.
Wofford's Harris Sets 10,000m Record in Rain Shortened Winthrop Asics Invitational
ROCK HILL, S.C. -- Mavrick Harris, who won the 10,000m with a Wofford record breaking time of 32:45.40, led the Terriers men's and women's track and field teams at the Winthrop Asics Invitational Friday and on the rain shorted Saturday.
Harris led the field in the 10,000m by just under a minute on his way to claiming the top spot on the podium Friday night.
Andy Vess also claimed top honors in the javelin with a distance of 46.84m, while Chase West took sixth in the 800m with a time of 1:59.97.
On the women's side, Kaitlin Brown finished tied for third with a height of 1.60m in the women's high jump.
Katie Kessler finished in second place in the women's 800m with a time of 2:20.65, and took eighth in the 400m with a time of 1:00.13.
In the 800m development race, Caitlin Dodd finished in first place with a time of 2:28.20.
Ashleigh Padgett took seventh in the women's javelin with a 28.63m toss, Alyssa Burkett also took seventh in the 1,500m with a time of 4:58.17.
Wofford will return to action April 2 as they host the Terriers Relays.
Catamounts Have Strong Showing at Beynon Sports Surfaces Catamount Classic
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Rainy weather did not put a damper on the Beynon Sports Surfaces Catamount Classic Saturday at the Catamount Athletic Complex. Steady rain fell on the event throughout the day, which caused a rolling schedule to be implemented. The field for Saturday's meet featured nine teams from around the Southeast.
In the women's javelin, Western Carolina picked up five of the top six spots, with freshman Megan Morton picking up her first collegiate victory with a throw of 40.00m. Morton bettered her throw from last week's 49er Classic by nearly two meters. Teammates Summer Hughes and Kim Cannon came in second and third with throws of 35.81m and 30.08m, respectively.
Western Carolina swept the top three positions in the women's long jump. Junior Jettana Thomas picked up the victory in the event clearing the bar at 4.78m. Raven Parrish followed Thomas with a best of 4.69m.
Senior Zakiyyah Stewart finished first in the women's hammer throw. Stewart's best throw came on her first attempt with a throw of 48.51m. The senior was also able to pick up a second and third victory in the meet, winning the shot put with a throw of 12.93m and the discus with a throw of 36.69m.
The Catamounts fared well in all four relays. In the women's 4x100-meter relay, Western Carolina's "A" team - consisting of Raven Parrish, Felicia Paulding, Janise Robinson and Felisha Garren - ran its top time of the season, crossing the stripe in 46.81. The "C" team finished shortly behind in 50.23. In the men's 4x100-meter relay, the "A" team had a large lead on the competition going in to the final handoff. After a botched exchange, WCU's "B" team - consisting of Sidney Rhodes, Lawren Willard, Ammar Phillips and Cornelius Williams - was able to take the lead and finish first with a time of 43.35.
In the 4x400-meter relays, the women's "A" of Collier, Lance, Keen and Wright finished first with a time of 4:03.44. On the men's side, Western Carolina's "C" team passed the "A" team and USC Upstate's "A" team on the final 200 meters to pick up the win in 3:21.77.
In the women's 1500-meter run, the Catamounts were able to put three runners in the top six, lead by sophomore Morgan Turner. Turner placed second, running the event in 4:47.31. On the men's side, Garrett West was victorious, winning in 4:01.25. Teammate Josey Weaver came in third place, finishing in 4:08.71.
The women's 100-meter hurdles event was another strong event for the Catamounts. WCU took four of the top five slots, with senior Nicole Okolo continuing to run at a top level, winning the event in 14.32, a full second faster than the second place finisher. Okolo picked up a second win when she finished first in the triple jump, leaping 11.16m.
The Catamounts were the top finishers in the women's pole vault event. Senior Kassie McKie picked up the second win of her career with a vault of 3.41 meters. That vault was also her best of the season.
Jamie Van Pelt had a big day for the Catamounts winning the discus - 45.33m - the hammer throw - 51.94m and the javelin - 54.94m. Senior Drew Tucker also placed first in the 800-meter dash with a 1:55.89 finish.
Junior Felisha Garren picked up her first career victory in the 200-meter dash, winning the event in 24.54. She ran her fastest time of the season, improving on her time of 24.79 from a week ago at the 49er Classic.
All told, the Catamounts finished in the top spot 19 times and notching 74 top-five finishes. The Western Carolina track & field teams will be back in action next weekend in Gainesville, Fla. For the Florida Relays.
MILLER WINS 10,000M TO LEAD PALADINS AT ALABAMA RELAYS
TUSCALOOSA, ALA. -- Junior Jay Miller won the 10,000m with a time of 32:55.44 to lead the Furman track and field teams at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday. The Paladins had seven top 10 finishers at the meet.
Senior Charlie McGoogan finished second in the 5,000m with a personal-best time of 14:57.02, followed by junior Chris Caldwell with a third-place finish and time of 15:14.46. Junior Lee Gilmer placed fifth in the 1500m with a time of 3:55.96.
For the Paladin women, senior Jenna Callahan placed eighth in the 800m with a personal-best time of 2:17.28, while junior Rebecca Shelton took eighth place in the 3,000m Steeplechase after posting a time of 11:44.38. Junior Brooke Mosteller notched a time of 18:17.47 for ninth place in the 5,000m.
Sophomore Scott Des Marais competed separately at the Asics/Winthrop Invitational this weekend. On Friday, he placed ninth in the shot put with a personal-best distance of 12.82 (42-00.75), then Saturday, he took fourth place with a mark of 40.50 (132-10) in the discus.
Furman will compete at the Terrier Relays in Spartanburg, S.C., on April 2.